"I'm a football player and I'm gay": Australian Josh Cavallo comes out

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28/03/2022
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Australian footballer Josh Cavallo announced his homosexuality on Wednesday, becoming the first active player in the Australian Championship (A-League) to do so, prompting many messages of support in the sporting world. "I'm a football player and I'm gay," Cavallo, 21, said on social media. "All I want is to play football and be treated fairly," said the former Australian Under-21 international "Trying to play to the best of your ability and living a double life is exhausting, it's an experience I wouldn't wish on anyone," he admitted.

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Few professional footballers have come out. Those who do usually wait until they retire to take the plunge, to avoid homophobic remarks from onlookers.

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— JR Tue Oct 03 23:49:28 +0000 2017

"It's amazing to know that there are no active gay professional football players"

The first to do so was England's Justin Fashanu in the 1990s. The player committed suicide in 1998 after quitting football and years of homophobic harassment. the possibility of confiding on his sexual orientation: “His suicide eight years after his coming out made me think.” They are only two professional football players in the world to have come out in activity. In 2018, American CollinMartin paved the way.

« Je suis joueur de football et je suis gay » : l’australien Josh Cavallo fait son coming out

Josh Cavallo described the support received from his club, Adelaide United, his teammates and Australian rules football as "tremendous" and said he wanted to be an example for other gay players. Players and ex-international players have also expressed their support. "Proud of you" tweeted Antoine Griezmann, who plays for the France team and Atlético Madrid. "Bravo", also launched on the social network GaryLineker, the former English player turned commentator. Several clubs Europeans like Arsenal, Juventus, and Barcelona also praised Josh Cavallo for his statements.